


Not My Daddy

by Sweetnesse



Category: Jared Leto Joker, Suicide Squad (2016), The Joker - Fandom
Genre: Cigarettes, Crimes & Criminals, Dark, Death, F/M, Gangsters, Gun Violence, Initiation, Jared Leto Joker - Freeform, Kidnapping, Murder, POV First Person, Smoking, Sort Of, Suggestive Themes, Suicide Squad, Tattoos, Teen Angst, Teenage Rebellion, Teenagers, The Joker - Freeform, The Professional, Tumblr Prompt, Underage Smoking, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-10-18 22:57:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17589983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweetnesse/pseuds/Sweetnesse
Summary: The Joker comes to collect on your fathers impending debt, and when you get swept up for ransom, you get pulled into a new life of crime.





	Not My Daddy

**Author's Note:**

> This was a prompt on Tumblr! Come be my friend at www.harleyquinn-xox.tumblr.com!  
>  _Prompt: I’m feeling for a x teen!reader (14-15) were she picks the jokers interest (being a master pick-pocket/gymnast or smt) since she has no one else to look after her joker kind of takes her in? Maybe something with the reader wanting to make a name for herself and joker helping her with all she needs to know? And maybe rewarding her with her very first tattoo or hair dye etc?_
> 
> I got total _The Professional_ vibes from this! If you haven't seen the film, I definitely recommend it. Though there isn't exactly suggestive speaking to a minor, I left it open to your interpretation. I hope you guys enjoy it!

 

I sat on the stoop of my apartment building. My parents were nowhere to be found as usual, and I had nothing else to do today. Even if I did, I probably wouldn’t do it, anyway. I took a lazy haul off of the cigarette I bummed from an older kid in apartment 48B with no thought other than needing to get the hell out of the place I was at.

My eyes landed on the usual sights before me, cars driving by, people and kids walking with either no direction or a very important place to be. I might’ve been young, but I was cynical. You don’t grow up in the lifestyle I did without knowing the darker side of life.

The cherry at the end of my smoke lit up bright orange as inhaled, but just beyond that, a man in a dark purple trench coat with bright green hair and pale white skin caught my eye. He was barking orders at another man in a suit. I rolled my eyes. What a sight to see. But I recognized him, and I recognized him immediately. The man in the suit had been to my apartment on more than one occasion, waving around a gun and reminding my dad about the money he owed him. I didn’t care enough to pay attention to the rest. When they walked up to the steps of my building, they both looked down at me with different expressions on their faces. The man in the suit cocked a brow. The man with the ice cold stare wore a blood red smile. My skin crawled at the sight. He was terrifying, but still, something about him interested me. I saw a lot of abnormal shit every day, but he was not something I saw every day.

“What do you creeps want?” I asked, rather unbothered.

“You’re {Y/N}, aren’t you?” The man in the suit inquired right back. “J, this is his kid.”

“Oh, now, now, Frost, we don’t ask our _payment_ questions, do we? _No, no, no, no_ … No, money talks _all on its own_..” The man in the trench coat seemed to purr before snapping his head to look in Frost’s direction “Grab her.”

“Hey! What fuckin’ gives?!” I dropped my cigarette and fought, trying to push back against the man who was now dragging me into my apartment building and up the stairs.

“He’s not home! I don’t even know where he is, but you won’t find him.”

“Shut up, kid,” Frost rasped, almost pulling my arm out of the socket as we reached the 3rd floor.

“Your daddy’s been making some bad business deals.. Now he gets to reap what he sows, and I get to take something of _his_ …”

“He’s not my daddy,” I spat, rolling my eyes as I was being thrust through my front door. “He’s just the sperm donor that got me here.”

They got a good laugh out of that, but I was serious as a heart attack. My dad was swine. They always said a girl could only trust her dad, but I couldn’t even do that. All he ever did was put us in danger. As I evaluated my situation.. Well, case and point. I wasn’t scared, nothing scared me anymore. But I wasn’t prepared to be held for ransom, I had other stuff to do, like hang out with my friends. My dad didn’t have the money he was looking for, I knew this because I overheard him drunkenly screaming at my mom about it just last night before she packed a bag and left.

They walked through my apartment guns blazing, shooting into rooms aimlessly and tearing holes into the already shabby furniture, all the while toting me along with them.

“ _Come out, come out, wherever you are_ ….” The man in the trench coat cooed, the grin on his face never faltering as he approached my parents room.

Frost kicked the door open, firing another shot into the open air. There was no stirring, but they pushed onward.

“Maybe he isn’t here, boss,” Frost said, furrowing his brow and loosening his grip on me.

“I told you, he left this morning!” I griped, only to be met with a chilling slap to the cheek from Frost.

It wasn’t that I wasn’t used to the abuse already from my own parents, but it didn’t make the sudden contact any less painful as I placed a hand to my temple. These people were strangers, and I was still a stupid punching bag.

“Don’t be _silly_ ,” the other man said, making his way to the closet.

He turned to face us, his hand to reach the sliding door. He extended each finger agonizingly slow, placing it against the wood. When his palm was flush with the door, he began to pull it open. There he was, my trembling, pathetic father.

“I knew we’d meet again,” the grinning man said, feigning a sad expression next for just a split second.

“Joker, man, I don’t… I don’t have your money!” My dad cried, sounding far too frightened than even I expected.

It was then that I realized exactly who these people were. The Joker and his right hand, Jonny Frost. I’d read about them in the paper and heard about them on the streets. The darker side of me admired them. While they were criminals, they seemed to take out all the other bad guys in their way, too.

“Blah.. blah… blah…. _Bullshit_. I gave you two extra days, {Y/L/N}. And you, took advantage of my kind spirit..”

“Please,” my dad begged as The Joker pulled him out of the closet. “One more day, one more! Then it’s all yours, the money is all yours.”

“Ah…. Hmm…” The Joker seemed to ponder his offer before grinning wide. “No dice. Frost, do me the honor..”

And with that, my dad’s brain painted the wall behind him. I was in shock at the sight, though not exactly hurt. I suddenly wished I had the cigarette they knocked out of my hand earlier.

“I thought we were gonna take the kid for the money,” Frost complained.

“I needed more fun than that, more.. More adrenaline!” He roared, throwing the last word out as though it were the most fun he’d ever had, and Frost only sighed and shook his head.

Typical yes-man behavior, I assumed.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” The Joker asked me next, turning around and stepping closer.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I retorted, wincing slightly at the sight behind him again.

“Oh! _Feisty._.. Tell me… are you _good_ for anything?” The Joker asked again.

I thought about what he was saying. Surely he wasn’t trying to take advantage of me, but I had no idea what else he would have meant. After a moment, another thought popped into my head, and since I suddenly found myself completely alone in the world, I thought I’d try my luck at something I’d wanted for a while.

I picked another cigarette from the inside of my combat boot, popping it between my lips and lighting it with a lighter that was laying on my parents bed.

“I can pick locks, pick pockets, lie well and I’ve been in gymnastics since I was five.”

The Joker lifted his non existent brows in a mixture of surprise and being impressed, his blue eyes shifting to Frost’s.

“Oh, and I suppose you think I’ll need a master.. _pick pocket_ ,” he spat before bubbling with the same twisted laughter he was known for and quickly settling down again. “I have no use for you.”

I tilted my head, my eyes on his gaze for a moment as I tried to formulate my next response. I didn’t want to be tied down from one shit family to another, and now, he was my only shot at some kind of consistency- whether that was criminal or not. I always wanted to be something more… Being tied to these people would provide me that. Maybe I’d see myself on the news one day.

“The least you could do is bring me with you. You just shot my dad in cold blood,” I said matter of factly, taking a drag off of my cigarette like some kind of adult. “Besides, people would trust me. I’m an innocent face. No one knows who I am. They’d all recognize either of you two, I’m sure.” I looked The Joker up and down.

There was no missing him. Everything about him could be picked out of a crowd. He was unique, and while I liked that, I used it to my advantage in this situation.

“She’s got a point, boss,” Frost mused.

“Of course I do. I don’t talk for my health,” I replied.

The Joker laughed, a hearty laugh that I hadn’t yet heard out of him. I knew then that I had him truly impressed.

“I can’t ignore someone who’s not afraid to talk back to Mister Frost here…” he drew out, eyeing me carefully as my eyes drifted back to my father slumped over on the floor.

“Let’s go,” was all he said, and I was being swept back under Frosts grip and dragged out of my apartment. I stumbled back down the stairs and to the middle of the sidewalk, in plain view of anyone who may have passed by.

“Show me what you got,” The Joker demanded placing a gun into my hand, his eyes shifting around the street before disappearing with Frost to an alleyway behind me.

Sure, I could’ve run. I could’ve run for my life and found something better. I could’ve turned around and shot them both and saved the city from their horrid antics. But being a prospect to none other than The Joker was a little exciting, and lord knows my life hadn’t had any of that in a long time. I was young, but I was already as good as messed up.

Instead, I tossed my cigarette and shrugged my shoulders a few times as I placed the gun under the waistband of my skirt and let my hair out of the messy bun it was in. I tousled it a few times as a man approached me in passing, pulling his phone from his pocket.

“Hey, ‘scuse me, mister,” I called out innocently, and he turned around. “I was trying to find the grocery store and got lost, do you think you can give me directions to 4th?”

He deemed me harmless and nodded, making his way back toward me and pulling up the directions on the iPhone’s screen. I peeked at the alley, seeing them both lingering with their eyes dead set on my every move.

As the man began to explain, I gingerly slipped my hand into his pocket.

“Uh-huh.. Oh, so when I get to Park, I have to go where?” I asked again, quickly but carefully grabbing his wallet and shoving it into my sleeve.

“Oh, so I _don’t_ turn left here?” I asked again, pointing with my other hand as I reached back into his other pocket, pulling out what felt like a pack of cigarettes and a small box.

When I was done, I stepped back, giving my best pageant girl grin and batting my eyelashes.

“Gee, thanks mister. I would’ve been terribly lost otherwise,” I expressed gratefully.

“No problem, kid,” he said, turning back and walking away again.

“Oh, hey! By the way!” I called out to him again.

The moment the man turned around, I pulled out the gun and shot him dead between the eyes.

“Those were the wrong directions, jackass.”

I shoved the gun back onto my hip, and calmly walked back into the alley way. After a few moments, people began to swarm the scene before us. We all watched, not a word said between any of us. I pulled out my findings, examining his wallet, clad with three hundred dollars, a driver’s license and some credit cards. The pack of cigarettes wasn’t my brand but I’d smoke anything at this point, and then the box. I opened the tiny box slowly, revealing the biggest carat diamond I’d ever seen in my life. My face lit up in awe, and I gasped softly. Before I knew it, The Joker ripped it from my hand, and shoved it into his pocket.

“He won’t be needing that anymore.. Looks like {Y/N} here let him off the hook!”

“That was mine!” I whispered loudly.

“Not anymore,” he said sternly, and I sighed and leaned against the brick wall. A few more moments passed in silence as the police rolled up to the scene before us.

“You’re in,” was all Frost said, and without another word from either of them, I was being dragged down the alley and into an SUV.

The ride was quiet, too, and once we arrived I was being, once again, dragged into a large warehouse.

“Seriously, I’m not going anywhere, I don’t know why you need to keep dragging me along.”

“We’re not exactly the trusting type, sweet cheeks,” Frost said as he pulled out a chair and pushed me down in it, grabbing my wrist and cuffing me to the nearby table.

“Cool…” I said, looking down at my wrist in annoyance.

When it was certain I was going nowhere, The Joker turned around, giving me a large smile and turning his cheek just slightly.

“Whoop-de-doo… You’re not _entirely_ useless!” He roared again. “But I highly doubt you’re trained enough to be a killer… _beginners luck_.”

He cracked his neck, a sensual look on his features as though it felt a little too good.

“I’ve watched my dad gun people down and wrap them up in rugs for years. Guess it just transferred.”

I heard Frost chuckle from the corner of the room, and The Joker’s eyes immediately shot to him, shutting him up entirely.

“After a little.. training, I’m sure you could be _better._.” he trailed off, getting lost in thought.

“What’s in it for me?” I asked, my cuff rattling against the leg of the table.

He eyed me, completely silent. Something told me he wanted to let me under his skin, if even just a little, but he didn’t know how. I didn’t expect one of the highest profile criminals to have a heart, anyway.

“What do you want?” He growled.

I never wanted much. In fact, I didn’t expect him to even ask. I had nothing.

“I like tattoos. And hair dye. And cigarettes.”

He laughed, drawing out each “ha” as though it were all just too much.

“Fine… Training starts in an hour… Do good, and we’ll see. _Do bad_ … and I won’t have any reason to _keep you around_.”

His voice was dark and gravely, the gruffness not something I was used to. He grabbed a black jacket from another chair and walked toward a door that led deeper into the warehouse.

“Watch her,” was all he said to Frost in the open air as he disappeared.

After a while of radio silence, Frost finally spoke.

“So you weren’t exactly mommy and daddy’s favorite, were you? I bet you gave them a hell of a time.”

“My dad wanted a boy. My mom didn’t want me at all.”

“Poor thing,” he said sarcastically, snorting at what would be anyone else’s misfortune.

“It doesn’t bug me. It taught me to be self sufficient early. Kids my age, they can hardly wipe their own asses.”

He snorted again, shaking his head.

“You really got a twisted way of seeing shit, kid.”

“Isn’t that why you guys gave me a shot?” I asked incredulously before the familiar slow laugh rang through the large, empty room as The Joker appeared again.

“ _Clever, clever, clever_ ….”

“Are you finally gonna uncuff me?” I asked.

“When I need to, I will,” he said sternly, nodding to Frost, who immediately moved to uncuff me from the table.

When he was done, I rubbed my wrist, a slight frown on my lips. He simply smiled.

“If you’re going to be anything out here in this city, you’re going to need a cleaner getaway than shooting a man and high tailing it into an alley…”

And with that, he turned around, gesturing for me to follow him.

As we walked, he explained to me that it was better to vanish than to hide just feet away from the scene of the crime, unless it was still in the early stages where no one knew who I was. He explained various weapons, what he liked them for and how to use them. And once we reached our destination deeper within the warehouse, I saw a collection of things that looked like they belonged to a woman. There were shoes and jewelry, hats and jackets. Everything was red and blue or red and black, and most everything was surrounded by some kind of weapon.

I immediately scanned through everything visible, sizing up what I could steal for my own without him noticing. I’d always had a thing for the shiny and the expensive. Once he turned his back on me, I quickly and quietly got to work. He went on about the proper way to kill a man with nothing more than a joke and a few mind games, and I snuck around the room, taking everything I wanted and could hide on my person.

I found my place just before he turned around, my lips curving into a smile to match his as I pretended to agree with everything he said. A silence hung in the air before he sat down in a large chair and cracked his knuckles.

“The choker, the bracelets, the credit card, the diamond necklace and the engagement ring from my pocket. You’re going to have to be stealthier than that, _sweetheart_ ,” he grinned, his tone like a sweet venom as he opened his hand to take back the things I’d stolen.

I rolled my eyes. Of course he knew. I was too predictable, but with his help, I knew I’d be as wonderfully unpredictable as the best of them. I emptied my boots and pockets into his hand. It wasn’t until I placed the switchblade and the white gun into his slender, tattooed fingers that his entire expression changed.

“ _Well, well, well_ … We have a true violent streak after all, don’t we? You took those without my realizing..”

“So what’s my prize?” I asked, my hands on my hips.

He eyed me, clearly uncertain of what I was after. Then, there was a glint in his eye.

“How’s about a _tattoo_ , {Y/N}?”

I couldn’t contain the childish excitement that forced its way to the forefront of my features.

“Yes! Finally!”

He didn’t make another sound. Instead, he stood from the chair and moved to a table in the corner.

“You know,” I said, letting my guard down a little. “I always kinda thought you were cool.”

I walked up beside him cautiously, running my finger over the dusty table. He seemed to tense up, though he didn’t speak a word.

“I wanted to do what you do. Rob banks and kill people. Mostly just the bad ones, though.”

“Didn’t your daddy ever tell you not to do bad things?” He asked sarcastically, pulling little pots of ink from a drawer, along with a tattoo gun that looked like it had seen better days.

The side of the tattoo gun, had “H+J” etched into it. I wondered who H was as I scoffed at his question.

“He’s not my daddy… But you could be better than him to me,” I paused, briefly unsure of what I even meant. “My father was a piece of shit. But you.. you’re cooler. More fearless. You get what you want. When you want it. How you want it.”

My eyes absorbed his expression, noticing something change in his face for just a split second after I spoke. I didn’t have to be an adult to know whatever I said had struck something in him.

“Sit down…” He rasped, pointing to a chair beside him that seemed to have been painted in blood at one point.

I did as I was told. I moved the chair to sit down across from him, bearing my wrist and pushing my bracelets up further along with my jacket sleeve.

“What can I do for ya…?” He inquired only, his eyes wide with insanity, and his ruby grin even wider.

Something in me wanted to pay tribute to my new found freedom, even if I found it under the command of a new face. I wanted to pay homage to him, for helping me escape what I considered to be a hell hole. Even though he held up a wall between letting me in as his protege completely, unsure of just how to handle someone so young who packed such a punch, I didn’t care.

“I want the card suits. You know, spade, diamond, club-“

“ _Heart_ ,” he finished for me, his voice gruff. “I know the deal.”

He flashed his knuckles in my direction, wiggling his fingers slowly; each knuckle bearing the same thing I’d just asked for. I gave a tight-lipped smile, nodding once. I had no idea what kind of pain I was going to be in for, but I knew at this point, nothing could phase me.

The needle hitting my skin, leaving little black lines, was exhilarating. It was such a burning, blissful pain that I wasn’t even sure how to handle it. I watched as he worked away, drawing each suit just as I asked. I scrunched my nose a few times, chewed on my lower lip even more, the pain enough to get me to cringe. But once it was over, he wiped away my blood and leaned back in his chair.

I looked at my wrist, happy with my new permanent dedication to my new life. It seemed so perfect; it felt so fitting. Small traces of blood seeped to the surface of each jet black pattern in my skin, and I couldn’t have been happier. There was no concealing the grin I wore as my eyes met his. He opened his arms wide before placing them behind his head slowly.

“Don’t say I never gave ya anything….”


End file.
